Fort Wayne Catholic community center

PUBLIC LIBRARY

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F o r t W a y n e C a t h o 1 i i
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Comiinuiiiity Center

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Jefferson at Barr Streets

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Fort Wayne, Indiana
1927

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A Community Home
for every Man and Woman,

every Boy and Girl
in Fort Wayne and Environs

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"N dedicating the Catholic Community
Center, with all its vast equipment, for
the use of the people of our city, we wish to
emphasize the spirit of community service in
which the project was conceived and to which
it is now dedicated.

,^^^^ At the time the campaign for funds,

^ipP^^A necessary to make the project a reality, was

/jT^^I^L launched, it was intended to direct the appeal

^^^g^^H^^ only to the Catholic people of the city. The

^^^K^^^^^^^m public announcement of the project brought

^^^^■^^^^^^^ such a cordial response from the public gen-

^^■^^^^^^^ erally, regardless of church or fraternal

affiliations, that popular acceptance of the
c. M. Niezer projcct as a Community endeavor was im-

mediately indicated. This fine spirit of ac-
ceptance and co-operation was evidenced by the fact that approximately
five thousand people voluntarily subscribed to the fund. This general
response on the part of the public stamped the project with the character
the promoters intended it to have, that of an instrumentality of com-
munity service. This spirit of mutual co-operation, neighborliness and
toleration, evidenced by the response of the public in subscribing to the
fund is a fine testimonial to the spirit of community interest on the
part of the people of our city, and we dedicate our completed project as a
mutual pledge of the continuance of this community feeling throughout
the coming years.

In this spirit we now dedicate this great project in its completed
form as a reality. The facilities of the Community Center and its
management will be broad enough to include within its benefits, all
the people of our city, regardless of religious or fraternal affiliations.
We wish to reciprocate the cordial feeling of neighborliness which was
so manifest in our initial effort to make this project a reality. We
want all the people of our city to feel that they are a part of this great
institution.

President
Catholic Community Center Association.

The Catholic Community Center

ISTORY leaves certain distinguishing marks that
are indelibly impressed upon the locality around
which it is woven. Looking over the pages of time to
the days when the village of the Kiskakons, later known
as Kekionga, was located in the northeastern section of
Indiana, we note that the first appellations not of In-
dian origin, were those of the two rivers that form the
source of the Maumee. They are the St. Joseph and
St. Mary's, both obviously Catholic names, calling to
mind the first real exploration of this section by the
white man.

Three centuries ago a canoe could have been seen
making its way up the Maumee. Red-painted savages
lined the banks of the river gazing with undisguised
wonder upon the occupants. A black-robed figure, his
body silhouetted against a background of river and for-
est, sat in the little barque. A cross dangled from his
girdle. It was Father Claude Allouez, one of an intrepid
band of missionaries, who had left his home in France
to carry to the savage tribes of the new land the gospel
of love. The black-robes, as they were known by the
Indians, had labored throughout the eastern section of
>; the new country and were now wending their way west-

'*C"'*^

Page Two

Fort Wayne, Indiana

ward. These missionaries, many of whom sacrificed
their lives, zealously and undauntedly strove to civilize
and Christianize the Red Man. The records of the early
Jesuit fathers relating to the first explorations are the
most complete and it is from them that the greatest
knowledge of the first white people is obtained. These
records were kept at the various missions which the
Jesuits established.

While white adventurers traversed this section prior
to the coming of the missionaries, these Wood Rangers,
as they were known, wielded an influence that had but
transitory value. It was the purifying services of the
Jesuit Fathers, their noble deeds and sacrificial acts,
that made a lasting impression upon the locality.

In 1723 Father Gabriel Marest, a French missionary,
penned a vivid description of the conditions prevailing
in this section. The site of Fort Wayne for many years
was a battle ground of two powerful European nations,
the French and the English. In his writings Father Jean
de Bonnecamps gave an account of his arrival at Kiska-
kon, mentioning the decay and ruin of the fort of the
Miamis.

Besides the priests who ventured in this vast wilder-
ness, practically all who followed individually or in
groups knelt at the altar of Holy Mother Church. Their
primary purpose was to bring the teachings of Christ to

Page Three

The Catholic Community Center

the Indians and secondly to plant the flag of their coun-
try in this primeval land. After many years of interne-
cine strife between the settlers from England and France
and bloody conflicts between the whites and the In-
dians, the epochal time came when Anthony Wayne
defeated the savages. In 1794 the dedication and build-
ing of Fort Wayne took place.

In 1830 Father Stephen Theodore Badin, the first
priest to be ordained in the United States, settled here.
He was Vicar General of the diocese of Bardstown, Ken-
tucky, and of the diocese of Cincinnati, under the juris-
diction of which Fort Wayne was placed. The site pur-
chased for St. Augustine's Church is where the Cathe-
dral of the Immaculate Conception now stands. The
church was completed in 1837. It was the first perma-
nent religious edifice built in Fort Wayne.

In 1840 Father Julian Benoit arrived at Fort Wayne.
He labored indefatigably and it was under his direction
that the foundation of the present cathedral was laid.
He worked with great success among the Miami Indians,
whom he accompanied to their reservation near Kansas
City in 1848. From that time on the Catholics pro-
gressed as the village grew. Many additions in the
present city are named after the early Catholic settlers.
The Catholic population increased and many other
churches were erected until today Fort Wayne has nine

Page Four

Fort Wayne, Indiana

beautiful Catholic churches, besides schools, academics, a
high school, an orphan asylum and a hospital.

While Fort Wayne was growing in population the
people of all religious beliefs worked in harmony. Many
civic causes were fostered and institutions given birth
through the generous co-operation of the entire popu-
lace. Numerous lodges and associations were estab-
lished.

In the year 1899 a charter was granted to the
Knights of Columbus, which organization later con-
ceived the idea of a Catholic Community Center.

While Catholics contributed a major portion of the
fund to make this Civic Center possible, it is particu-
larly gratifying and worthy of special acknowledgment
and recognition to mention that many subscriptions
were willingly and munificently given by citizens of
Fort Wayne who were not members of the Catholic
Church. They proved by their liberality of thought
and money, the great necessity for that exemplification
of love and peace that welds a community into a harmo-
nious brotherhood.

The spirit of social and civic service is the foundation
upon which Catholic Community Center is built. It
will uphold the principles of our country and respect
the honest religious opinions of every person, extending
to all citizens of good character and reputation the hand
of fellowship.

'm

t^Xr

Page Five

The Catholic Community Center

The Catholic Community Center

T'HE seeming fantastic dream of a few far-sighted
practical men nearly two decades ago became a
vivid reality when the doors of this magnificent
Catholic Community Center swung open April 21,

1927.

Through years of saving and wise property invest-
ment, assisted by a substantial donation by the late
Louis Fox. Fort Wayne Council No. 451. Knights of
Columbus, had accumulated property and a building
fund of approximately $100,000. In 1923 the
Council voted to turn over this fund and real estate
to an unaffiliated body of men who organized as the
Catholic Community Center Association. With its
own project, this association included plans for an-
other vitally important institution, a home for girls,
as originally proposed by the Daughters of Isabella.

„. , ., ,. The Rt. Rev. Herman J. Alerding and the reverend

Bishop Alerding ^ ,•, ^, ■ ^- ° ^i i • .

*^ ^ pastors readily gave their sanction to the work with

the additional promise that they would aid to bring

it to a successful conclusion. Upon his succession to the see of Fort Wayne, the Rt.

Rev. Msgr. John F. Noll. D.D.. also gave his whole-hearted approval.

The following year the articles of incorporation were signed at a meeting in the
Anthony Hotel by the late Bishop Alerding. Rt. Rev. Msgr. J. H. Oechtering. V. G.,
Rev. H. F. Joseph Kroll. Rev. Joseph F. Delaney, Rev, Charles Thiele. Rev. Thomas
M. Conroy. Rev. H. A. Hoerstman. Rev. Basil A. Didier, Charles M. Niezer. Harry
G. Hogan. William H. Noll. Dr. H. O. Bruggeman. Al Riegel. John J. Disser. John
W. Eggeman. Gustavc A. Berghoff. Joseph F. Miller. Martin J. Grace. Joseph C.
Hutzell. Stephen A. Callahan. John Suelzer. Jr.. Frank
J. Gilmartin. Robert E. Kelly, Frank L. Freiburger. J.
Herman Bueter. C. Byron Hayes. George M. Haffner.
William S. O'Rourke. Sr.. J. Stephen Weber, Edward
J. Disser, William J. Lennart, Julian F. Franke, Alex
A. KarthoU, Thomas A. Hayes. Charles D. Nolan.
Frank J. Mills. Matthew C. Drennan.

From November 11 to 18, 1923, a remarkable
campaign for funds was held under the able leadership
of Charles M. Niezer, chairman. Encouraged by the
untiring zeal of the late lamented Stephen A. Callahan,
campaign director, through the generosity of the people
of Fort Wayne, the workers in this drive raised
$593,000. exceeding the quota by $18,000. The
contracts for the building were signed on April 14.
1925. Ground was then broken and after nearly two
years, the great work of erecting this civic center was
completed. Surely, everyone who worked in this
noble cause must now feel the satisfaction of a worthy
task well done. Bishop Noll

Page Six

Fort Wayne, Indiana

In Memory of

STEPHEN A. CALLAHAN
"Our Brother"

Whose Untiring Efforts Made Possible This Catholic
Community Center.

1890-1926

Page Seven

OFFICERS

Fort Wayne. Indiana

Original Incorporators

Rt. Rev. Herman J. Alerding

Rev. J. H. Oechtering

Rev. H. F. J. Kroll

Rev. Joseph F. Delaney

Charles M. Niezer

Harry G. Hogan

William H. Noll

Dr. H. O. Bruggeman

Al Riegel

John J. Disser

John W. Eggeman

Gustave Berghoff

Joseph F. Miller

Martin J. Grace

Joseph C. Hutzell

Stephen A. Callahan

Charles D. Nolan

Frank J. Mills

Thomas A.

Matthew C. Drennan
Rev. Charles Thiele
Rev. Thomas Conroy
Rev. H. A. Hoerstman
Rev. B. A. Didier
John Suelzer, Jr.
Frank J. Gilmartin
Robert E. Kelly
F. L. Freiburger
J. Herman Bueter
C. Byron Hayes
George M. Haffner
William S. ORourke
J. Stephen Weber
Edward J. Disser
William J. Lennart
Julian F. Franke
Alex A. Kartholl
Hayes

Charles M. Niezer
Harry G. Hogan
William H. Noll
Dr. H. O. Bruggeman
John J. Disser
Joseph F. Miller
Martin J. Grace

John Suelzer. Jr.
Robert E. Kelly
Frank L. Freiburger
J. Herman Bueter
C. Byron Hayes
George M. Haffner
Alex A. Kartholl

Robert L. Fitzgerald

Late Director'
Stephen A. Callahan

Page Nine

EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE

THli ORIGINAL LXiiCUTIVi: COMMITTEE
Also Included the Officcrj

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Association Committees

Building

Stephen A. Callahan
Charles M. Niezer
J. Stephen Weber
Martin J. Grace
John J. Disser

Charles M. Niezer,
General Chairman

Equipment

Thomas Kelly
Robert L. Fitzgerald
Joseph F. Miller
Othmar N. Heiny
James F. Keenan

Personnel

Robert L. Fitzgerald
Maurice C. Niezer
W. G. Spaulding
John Suelzer, Jr.
Al Becker

Callahan Memorial
Charles D. Nolan Alex A. Kartholl Joseph F. Miller

Harry G. Hogan Harry W. Flannery

DEDICATION

Alex A. Kartholl, General Chairman

Adolph Jaenicke, Vice-Chairman CHARLES Manett, Secretary

John J. Disser, Treasurer

Harry W. Flannery. Publicity
Thomas A. Hayes. Program
Charles D. Nolan. Souvenirs
Frank M. Hogan, Invitation's
Henry Otten. Banquet
John J. Rissing, Music
C. McLaughlin, Grand Ball

John Kappel. Decorations
Maurice C. Niezer. Reception
John G. Kramer. Hotels
Jacob Hartman, Traffic
W. P. SCHENKEL, Transportation
Martin J. Cleary. Athletics
Harry Kennerk, Speakers

MEMBERSHIP ■
Frank J. Gilmartin, Chairman

George M. Deininger
J. Herman Bueter
Adolph Keller

Leo M. O'Brien

Joe Till

C. E. Huttinger

Jerry Crowley

Page Eleven

The Catholic Community Center

Program

For Dedication of Fort Wayne's Catholic Community Center
April 21 to 24. 1927

THURSDAY. APRIL 21
10:00 A.M. Blessing of the building by the Rt. Rev. John F. Noll.
D.D., Bishop of Fort Wayne, and attendant priests.
(Private.)
1:30 P.M. Dedication program. Community Center Auditorium.
Orchestra, Jimmy Bowersox's Musical Pirates.

Address of Welcome, by Charles M. Niezer, President of

the Catholic Community Center Association.

Response on behalf of the City of Fort Wayne, by the

Hon. William C. Geake, Mayor of Fort Wayne.

Response on behalf of the Catholic citizens of Fort

Wayne, by the Rt. Rev. John F. Noll. D.D., Bishop of

Fort Wayne.

Dedication Address, by the Hon. David I. Walsh, United

States Senator from Massachusetts. To be broadcast over radio

station WOWO.

Finale: "The Star Spangled Banner."

7:00 P. M. Civic banquet. Community Center Auditorium.

Music, Earl Gardner's Orchestra.

Toastmaster. Charles M. Niezer, President of the Catholic
Community Center Association.

Short Addresses by:

The Hon. William C. Geake. Mayor of Fort Wayne.

Sylvanus B. Bechtel, past President of the Fort Wavne

Young Men's Christian Association.

The Rev. Louis N. Rocca, President of the Fort Wayne

Ministerial Association.

Arthur M. Hall, President of the Lincoln National "Fife

Insurance Company.

The Rabbi Samuel H. Markowitz, Achduth Veshalom

Temple.

Robert Koerber. Vice-President of the Fort Wayne Young

Men's Christian Association.

The Rt. Rev. John F. Noll, D.D., Bishop of Fort

Wayne.

The Hon. David L Walsh, United States Senator from

Massachusetts. To be broadcast over radio station WOWO.

Finale: "The Star Spangled Banner."

Page Twelve

Fort Wayne, Indiana

FRIDAY. APRIL 22
10:00 A. M. General Opening. All parts of the building open to the
public.

Music and entertainment.
8:00 P. M. Grand Ball and Special Features.

Music by Earl Gardner's Orchestra and Jimmy Bower-
sox's Musical Pirates.

SATURDAY. APRIL 23
Women's Day
10:00 A. M. All sections of the building open to public.
Music and entertainment.

2:00 P.M. Musical tea. Community Center Auditorium.

7:00 P.M. Formal Opening of the Athletic Departments of the
building.

Swimming exhibition in the Natatorium by the Univer-
sity of Notre Dame swimming team, headed by Edward
Brennan. captain. The team includes a Fort Wayne
young man. Thomas McKiernan. and several holders of
collegiate swimming records. Fancy diving and inter-
team contests.

7:30 P. M. Address by Thomas Mills, assistant director of athletics
at the University of Notre Dame, in the main gymnasium.
Athletic Events by the Turnverein Vorwaerts. directed
by Henry Meyer and George Weberus.
Three boxing bouts by boxing teams from the Univer-
sity of Notre Dame, headed by Pat Canny, former col-
legiate middleweight champion of Ohio, Indiana and
Kentucky.

Bowling meet between teams representing the Lincoln
Life Insurance Co. and the Catholic Community Center
on the Community Center bowling alleys.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24
Out-of-Town Visitor's Day
10:00 A. M. All sections of the building open to public.
2:30 P.M. Concert by Philharmonic Society of Fort Wayne under
direction of O. E. Richard, director of the choir of the
First Methodist Church and of the C. C. Schlatter Or-
chestra.

APRIL 25 to 27

Devoted to events and inspection for the Juveniles and
Children.

Pacie Thirteen

The Catholic Community Center

npHE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY CENTER

I offers to every Fort Wayne person just what the
name impHes, — a Community Home. It is the presen-
tation of a whole CathoHc community, with the vol-
untary assistance of many non-Catholics, to the
entire citizenry of Fort Wayne and its environs,
whether man, woman, boy or girl, whether Catholic
or non-Catholic, for their meeting, entertainment,
education and physical development.

This institution is Fort Wayne's Community
Center.

No effort has been spared in making this building
as complete in its conveniences and as attractive in its appointments as
such a building should be. Actually, no other city in the country has
an institution similarly established and similarly operating. No other
city has a Catholic Community Center, though we may expect that the
Fort Wayne institution may be the forerunner of other like institutions
throughout the nation.

Fort Wayne's Community Center stands on the southwest corner of
Jefferson and Barr streets, close enough to the business part of the city
to be conveniently accessible to it, and far enough away to escape its
rush. The building stands five stories above ground and two under
ground and is so constructed that one section is devoted entirely to
women and girls, with entrance on Barr street, and another portion is
devoted to the boys' quarters with entrance at the extreme west door on
Jefferson street.

Architecture Gothic

The architecture of the building is Gothic, a style invariably chosen
for expressing the aspirations of idealism. It is fire-proof, with faces of
buff brick trimmed with Indiana limestone, the limestone predominat-
ing at the entrances and in crockets at the parapets. The steps and
wainscoating of the entrance lobbies and the trim for interior stairways
are of Tennessee marble. Terrazzo floors have been built into the
lobby and corridors.

Page Fourteen

Fort Wayne, Indiana

^ 9 4 o - r»

COMMUNITY AUDITORIUM

Interior architecture and furnishings have all been selecteci in con-
formity with the Gothic style of the building. Light fixtures, for in-
stance, are of antique gold and wrought iron in the Elizabethan man-
ner, a style evolved in the latter part of the Gothic period and hence
eminently fitting as a liaison between the early Gothic manner of the
facade and the modern intention of the building.

One of the most beautiful of interior trims, figured red gumwood,
which is especially attractive because of its intricate grain, was chosen
for the woodwork. It is stained to match walnut. The walls in the
building are in varying colors, some stippled in tones ranging from
brilliant hues to faint tints, but all selected with a view to the purpose
and harmony of the complete room.

As you enter the building through the east door the main lobby
with its walls of soft blue presents a restful view. In harmony with the
English Gothic ornamentation of the walls are the massive davenports
and chairs in heavy Jacobean style, covered with patterned tapestry
and frieze.

Page Fifteen

The Catholic Community Center

ummsmmm
MAIN RECEPTION ROOM

The Reading Room

To the right, with entrance through three large openings, is the
reading room. Here the walls are also blue: the rugs are Hartford Sax-
ony with a Hamidan design, sometimes called camel's hair by the Ori-
entals. The ground color of these rugs is tan; figures are in blue, black,
gold and rose. At the windows are hand-colored mohair casement cloth
with over-hangings of blue velvet, hung from antique walnut poles.
The eighteenth century furniture is covered with deep, rich red leather.
The point of interest in this room centers about an exquisite Jacobean
fireplace, beautifully reproduced, and over which is a bronze tablet in
memorial to Stephen A. Callahan, "whose untiring efforts made pos-
sible this Catholic Community Center."

On the opposite wall is a beautiful portrait in oils of the Rt. Rev.
John F. Noll, D.D., Bishop of Fort Wayne, by a famous, artist of
Austrian descent, Alfred Ullman of Chicago, presented to the Com-
munity Center by Charles M. Niezer.

Page SixWcn

Fort Wayne, Indiana

SWIMMING POOL

The Directors' Room, one of the most luxuriously furnished in the
building, also adjoins the lobby, being at the southeast end. The color
scheme here is bottle green and old red. Above the beautiful paneling
in walnut finish the walls are painted a warm buff color. The rug in
this room is also a Hartford Saxony. It has a very deep nap in moss
green with gold scroll border. The draperies are green and the chairs
are upholstered in red leather.

Two formal parlors with an eastern exposure are off the lobby on
the Barr street side. They have walls of two-tone putty color and
hangings of putty and mulberry figured damask, trimmed with sage
green tasseled fringe. The cornices are of antique walnut ornamented in
gold; lambrequins are used to correspond. Hartford Saxony rugs are
in these rooms also. The designs are antique Persian Ispahan, with a
dark navy blue ground and figures in rose, gold and Persian blue. The
furniture is dark walnut, upholstered in colorful fabrics in shades to
harmonize with the rugs. One of these parlors is equipped with an
Orthophonic Victrola.

Page Seventeen

The Catholic Community Center

The Auditorium

At the west end of the main lobby is a foyer leading to the lobby
of the auditorium, which has a direct entrance from Jefferson street.
Ample checking facilities are provided on both the first and balcony
floors. The auditorium walls are of tan and gold: the lighting fixtures
are Elizabethan in inspiration and finished in antique gold. These fix-
tures have large glass arlanders in the center, throwing a soft glow over
the hall. The curtains at the windows and also the stage curtain are
of red velvet elaborately embellished by gold braid and heavy fringe
tassels.

Fifteen hundred persons may be comfo"tably seated on the main
floor and balcony of this auditorium, which is fitted for theatricals,
addresses, banquets, meetings, card parties and dances. The stage is
equipped with several beautifully designed settings and is large enough
for almost any amateur performance. A grand piano is available for
concerts.

The women's dressing room on the first floor is appropriately deco-
rated in the French manner. The walls are rose ivory with panels of
grey green; the furniture is painted green and upholstered in a French
striped fabric of vivid red and sand. The rug is also green, contrasting
beautifully with the curtains of flame colored taffeta.

General Reception Room

On the second floor, off the balcony, is the general reception room.
This finely proportioned room has walls of warm buff as a background
for the exquisite furniture and draperies. The furniture is all English in
design, covered with various colored fabrics. The dominating note of
red is also carried out in the brocaded chenille hangings, which make a
distinctive contrast with the cornice of walnut and gold.

A men's smoking room adjoining the balcony of the auditorium is
provided with comfortable leather, upholstered chairs. The walls are
treated in a simple, stippled buff shade and the windows are provided
with heavy mohair hangings. The rug is a Hartford Saxony with a
taupe Jasfay center and a border in two shades of taupe and black.

The Natatorium

The swimming pool is one of the few regulation natatoriums in the
state, being so constructed that any amateur or professional meet may
be held here. The pool itself is seventy-five feet long and twenty-five

Page Eighteen

Fort Wayne, Indiana

MAIN GYMNASIUM

feet wide, with a minimum depth of four feet and a maximum depth
of eight and a half feet, which is reached directly in front of the special
high-dive board. From this point, the pool basin graduates to eight
feet at the southern end. A balcony, providing comfortable seats with
an excellent view because of the step system of arrangement, is located
on the western side of the pool, and will accommodate several hundred
spectators.

The mural design of the pool is especially novel, the decorators here
having achieved an Egyptian bath in the brilliant polychromes and fan-
tastic designs characteristic of this style.

The natatorium spectators' entrance is off the main basement level,
to the east of the cafeteria lobby, and the swimmers' entrance is from
the locker rooms on the basement level.

Two Gymnasiums

There are two gymnasiums, one for general usage by men. women
and girls according to schedule, and the other for boys. Each is com-

Page Nineteen

The Catholic Community Center

pletely equipped with apparatus for all athletic andphysical- needs, and
is in charge of a competent physical director and assistants. Regular
classes will be held in these gymnasiums. The dimensions of the main
gymnasium are ninety-seven feet by sixty-five feet and of the boys* gym-
nasium, ninety-five by thirty-five feet.

Like the swimming pool, the gymnasium has direct connection with
the lockers and showers. Locker accommodations for women in the
women's section of the building, and for men in the main section are
provided with hot rooms and Turkish baths in connection. These
rooms will be equipped with cots, easy chairs, beds and reading tables.
The physical director's office and another room for physical examina-
tion adjoin the main gymnasium.

Three handball courts are located on the third floor. The dimen-
sions of these courts are each forty by twenty-two feet. They are well
ventilated and are provided with a spectators' gallery on the fourth
floor level.

Cafeteria and Other Features

Members may also avail themselves of the privileges of bowling
alleys, billiard and pool rooms. Six bowling alleys with ample run-
ways, excellent lighting fixtures and a modern ventilating system are
located in the sub-basement. These are Brunswick-Balke-Collendar
alleys, donated to the center by the Lincoln National Life Insurance
Company. The gallery will accommodate three hundred spectators.

A lunch grill and soda fountain, several cigar stands, a completely
equipped barber shop and a cafeteria are among other features of the
Community Center. The Cafeteria is located directly below the audi-
torium, with entrance from the main lobby, and has a seating capacity
of one hundred and fifty persons. Equipment is completely modern and
the plan of the cafeteria has been arranged for the utmost convenience
of patrons. Adjoining the cafeteria are three private dining rooms to
be used separately, or in case of large dinners to be used in connection
with the cafeteria with the folding doors thrown open. The cafeteria
and these dining rooms are available for banquets and meetings.

The Council Chamber

In the west wing of the building on the third floor is the Knights of
Columbus council chamber. Four private social rooms are adjacent.
Decoration of these rooms has made them the most elegant council
chambers in the Middle West. The floors are carpeted in a specially

Page Twenty

Fort Wayne, Indiana

i^H-^^i^^->^' ^^fe^^^^^^^^^^i

COUNCIL CHAMBER

made design over a lining of heavy Ozite. The walls are in soft greens;
hangings at the windows are of rich velvet in ashes of roses, contrasting
well with the green walls and the brown mahogany stations. Orna-
mentation in the furniture is high-lighted in an antique green and gold
finish; upholstery is of green leather. The light fixtures here also are of
antique gold and specially designed for the room. A balcony is located
at the east end of the chamber.

Residence Rooms

Ninety-two residence rooms for men, affording accommodations for
one hundred and ten persons, are in the building. These rooms are so
attractive and so comfortably furnished that they have elicited the en-
thusiastic comment of everyone. Located on the second, third, fourth
and fifth floors, they all have windows to the outside, securing good
ventilation and view.

The rooms, from the standpoint of furniture, convenience and size,
give the impression of the best in excellent hotel appointments. The

Page Twenty-one

The Catholic Community Center

■"^11

RESIDENCE ROOM

floors are covered in beautiful and heavy Bigelow Larvell Axminster
carpets. The color efi'ect is dark ecru ground with small figures done in
dark rose, blue and black. The walls give the appearance of warmth
and friendliness reflecting various colors including soft green, orchid,
blues and tans. The windows are hung with creamy white Marquisette
curtains. The fixtures are substantial and of excellent appearance.

The furniture is in keeping with the best, both in comfort and at-
tractiveness. With the exception of a few extra large rooms, the furni-
ture is similar throughout, including an easy chair, chiffo-desk, bed and
telephone in each room. No expense has been spared in providing beds
of the utmost comfort. Some of the rooms have individual desks and
additional furniture. Rooms are equipped with running water, hot and
cold. There are a few rooms on each floor arranged for use in suites
which have bath in between. Each floor is equipped with showers and
lavatories. The building is also equipped with a special automatic ele-
vator for the exclusive use of the residents. Those living in the building
will also find the gymnasium, swimming pool, handball courts, bowl-
ing alleys, pool and billiard rooms especially convenient.

Page Twenty-two

Fort Wayne, Indiana

These rooms will provide wholesome and comfortable quarters for
young men away from home attending school or employed in Fort
Wayne. Here worthy young men, regardless of religious affiliation, will
find a wholesome atmosphere with every comfort and convenience to
cheer them in their lonely and leisure hours. Notwithstanding the high
standard maintained in furnishing and equipping the rooms, the rates
are very reasonable. Some of the rooms have two single beds, affording
an unusually low rate for the individual who wishes to share his quar-
ters with a congenial companion. There are a few extra large rooms,
truly handsome in size and appointment, for some who may wish to
pay a higher rate. Adequate laundry and maid service will be given.

In wholesome and most pleasant surroundings, in the lobby priv-
ileges without extra charge, in the coziness of the private rooms and in
general comfort and convenience, the young man who rents a room will
find he buys much for which he does not pay.

Other Privileges for Men

The other privileges for men, including the gymnasium, handball
courts, swimming pool, auditorium, bowling alleys, pool and billiard
rooms, barber shop, library, cafeteria, cigar stand, etc., constitute a pro-
gram for the constructive physical and mental recreation of the men of
this community that few cities are privileged to offer.

There is a physical director in charge of the men with instructors
for the various types of work. The organization plan includes phy-
sical examinations and the prescribing of a course of gym work to suit
the individual needs. Volley ball, handball, bowling, swimming,
with their attendant competitive features, as well as boxing, wrestling,
horizontal and parallel bars, and other forms of calisthenics and ath-
letics, make the main gym hum with resultful activity.

Women's Section

An entire section of the building has been set aside for the women
and girls of Fort Wayne. This section is on the southeast side with a
private entrance on Barr street and with four floors of the building de-
voted to the use of the women.

Immediately to the left of the Barr street entrance is a spacious and
handsome office which will be used by the women's secretary in charge of
women's activities. Here also is the reception room. On the floor above,
the second floor of the building, is a large room, handsomely decorated

Page Twenty-three

The Catholic Community Center

and furnished, which has been designated as the Women's Committee
Room and which is for meetings, card parties, teas, receptions, and other
needs which the women may find for it. This is equipped with a
reproducing piano.

The color scheme in this room is old rose and gold, with the rose
predominating. This scheme is carried out in the hangings of rose
damask and gold, which are hung from decorative cornices; walls of old
ivory provide a pleasant harmony. The carpet is a Hartford Saxony
with a ground of bright Persian blue and a design of Saronk pattern
done in colors of soft rose, Persian green and carmel. The furniture is
decorated to make a pleasing ensemble.

On the basement floor are the dressing rooms, locker and basket
rooms, well furnished and equipped for use in connection with gym-
nasium work. The sub-basement is equipped with a battery of shower
baths, dressing booths and lockers. A particularly happy arrangement
has been worked out here with the showers separating the dressing
booths and lockers. These dressing rooms and showers connect directly
with the main gymnasium and the swimming pool, affording the
women a private entrance. The women's section is entirely separate
and apart from the other sections of the building.

The carpet in the women's rest room in the basement is a Hartford
Saxony, of conventional design, with rose taupe ground and figures
done in blue. rose. Persian green and black. The carpet in the Women's
Reception Room is Persian Saronk with colors of the orient in blue
ground with rose, gold and blue scroll design.

The women's quarters are exceedingly well furnished and equipped,
with not a detail omitted that would further enhance either beauty or
comfort.

The women have their own physical director for gymnasium classes,
swimming and general physical instruction. They also have bowling
leagues, swimming meets and athletic events of all kinds arranged for
and by the women.

The Catholic Community Center provides a headquarters for the
various activities of Fort Wayne women. Here are not only adequate
facilities for meetings, parties, for athletics: but a delightful place to
rest, read or chat while on a shopping trip downtown.

Page Twentu-four

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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WOMEN'S COMMITTEE ROOM

Boys' Section

In the northwest wing of the building are quarters which will de-
light the heart of the Fort Wayne boy. This section is separate from
the rest of the building, with a private entrance on Jefferson street.
Here will be found a special gymnasium for the boys' own use, one
hundred and forty-three lockers, a battery of shower baths, pool tables,
library and a play room for meetings andl games.

The gymnasium is ninety-five feet long, the same length as the
main gym, and is thirty-five feet wide. It is thoroughly equipped for all
athletic and physical needs with a spacious balcony along the entire
east side.

The Catholic Community Center has made a special effort to meet
the needs of the boy. Realizing his vast importance as a future citizen
of this city, and knowing that well-directed supervision of his leisure
time will produce a man of sturdy health, staunch character and un-
limited possibility of achievement in our community life, the Com-

Page Tiventy-five

The Catholic Community Center

BOYS' GYMNASIUM

munity Center has endeavored to provide a program that will result in
these ends. Not only does the program include the older boy, but it
also includes the boy in his first formative years, the lad from eight to
fourteen years old, all under the direction of a man specially trained in
boy work, whose experience has shown that he can guide boys to be-
come more useful and happy men.

In its entirety, the Community Center provides a place and con-
veniences for the wholesome mental and physical recreation of every
citizen of the city and its vicinity. The enterprise is planned for the
complete advantage of everyone, with the test to membership being
that of character only. On April 21, 1927, the doors first opened to
receive with open hands, the men, women, boys and girls of our en-
tire community.

Page Twenty-six

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